


Everyone was a kid, once

by SunflowerSupreme



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Backstory, Child Abuse, Gen, Orphanage, ravager week, vaguely comic inspired, w.i.p.
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-12
Updated: 2018-06-22
Packaged: 2019-05-21 06:43:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14910339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunflowerSupreme/pseuds/SunflowerSupreme
Summary: Stakar is very much in love with Aleta. Aleta is in love with the presents he steals her.They didn't plan to become the Galaxy's most feared pirates, it just happened.Ravager Week Day Three: The Other Clans and Captains





	1. Stakar and Aleta (part 1)

**Author's Note:**

> I refuse to wait until 2020 for more of the Ravagers. So I’ve decided to start my own story with ideas as to where they came from, based loosely on the comics.
> 
> I haven't really decided where I'm going with this, but it's Ravager Week so I had to start somewhere.
> 
> Ravager Week Day Three: The Other Clans and Captains (Stakar. Charlie-27. Aleta. Krugarr. Mainframe.)

“Aleta.”

“Fuck off.”

Stakar struggled to pull himself further up the window, knowing that he was at risk of falling and waking up the entire orphanage. “Come on girl, you’ve gotta see this!”

“I’ve gotta sleep.”

He groaned. “Since when do you care about sleep?”

“Since I got whipped for your last great idea.”

Stakar winced. They’d been heard sneaking back into the orphanage and although Stakar had managed to flee up the back staircase and into the boy’s room, Aleta hadn’t been so lucky. It had just been that morning, he should have known she’d still be prickly about it. It probably was still throbbing, he knew first hand how badly the minders could hurt them. 

It was hard to believe it had been just over a full day cycle since she had been the one to propose sneaking out at night to star gaze. _They shouldn’t have put my bed so close to the window if they didn’t want me using it_ , she had said with a smirk. Now she was curled in on herself, tired and worn. It wasn’t fair, Stakar thought bitterly. She should have just ratted him out and let him take the beating instead. He’d have claimed he drug her out against her will - anything to protect her. Of course, he didn’t harbor any belief that she had refused to implicate him in order to protect him. Aleta was just too damn proud to give into the minder’s demands, sparing Stakar was simply a side effect.

He climbed the rest of the way into the girl’s door, hoping his footsteps didn’t disturb any of the other girls and crawled to sit beside her. “I got you a present,” he whispered.

“Don’t want it.”

He fumbled in his pocket, ignoring her grumbles for him to just go away. “I’ll tell the minders you’re sneaking into the girl’s dorm,” she threatened. He seriously doubted she meant it. Even if she did, the punishment would be worth it.

“I stole it,” he said, finding the offering and placing it in her hand.

Aleta blinked wearily and looked down, eyes widening slightly at the gift. “Stakar!” she gasped. “Where did you get this?” Candy was a rare treat in the orphanage, Stakar couldn't remember the last time he'd gotten any himself. He'd had that particular bit hidden in his bed for several days, debating the perfect time to eat it. After the day before, he'd decided she deserved it more.

“I told you,” he murmured, sneaking up his hand to stroke it through her hair. “I stole it.”

She batted his hand away and pushed herself up. “If they catch me with this, you know what they’ll do to me.” There was a part of her that was still wary of him, although she seemed less wary of him than anyone else. Stakar had grown up in the orphanage, Aleta had been in a foster home until she was removed for “allegations of abuse.” The one time he’d asked about her foster parents, she’d beaten the shit out of him.

He’d never seen anyone fight like her before, and had been head over heels since.

“Then you’d better eat it quick.”

He sat beside her on the bed, her roommates were either heavy sleepers or too afraid of Aleta to admit to being awake. It was probably the later.

Stakar thought he could have watched her nibble at the candy for hours, clearly enjoying the taste more than she would ever admit. He placed her hand against the small of her back, near the bottom of her shirt. “May I?” he whispered.

“If it means that much to you,” she grumbled around a mouthful of chocolate.

He pushed up her shirt and winced at the angry red lines, feeling another surge of guilt. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, letting go of her shirt so that it tumbled back down over her injuries.

“Steal me more of this and I might forgive you.”

He grinned. “Yes, ma'am.”  

* * *

Aleta managed to limp down to breakfast the next morning, although it was obvious to anyone who bothered to look that she was doing poorly. She hated the feeling of weakness it gave her, hating it, even more, when Stakar pulled out a seat for her beside him. Sitting down she made sure to give him an irritated look so that he knew he wasn’t yet forgiven.

But she couldn’t forget what he’d said to her when they’d slipped away for those precious few hours. _Let's run away, Aleta-girl, let’s get off this rock_. If he was going to help her sneak off the desolate asteroid the Nova Corps had decided would be a good place to house children - and where they’d come up with that plan, she’d never know - she’d have to tolerate him a bit longer.

Ever since her arrival there, almost a year prior, she’d been plotting a way off. But Stakar had talked as though he already had a plan in the works. It would save her a lot of trouble if it were true. _As long as I’m sure I can trust him_.

She stared at him over her breakfast and he had the nerve not to look too cowed. He was hard to read, sometimes timid and shy, other times the most boisterous person in the room. One way or another, he’d cemented himself a place of popularity - perhaps even leadership - among the orphans. Perhaps it was because he had been there the longest, rumor had it he hadn’t even been thoroughly cleaned of birthing fluid when he’d been dumped by his parents. Aleta, on the other hand, had made no effort to make any friends since the Nova Corps had dumped her there, snarling at or outright fighting anyone who had tried to befriend her.

Stakar was dumb enough to keep trying to befriend her. She had no interest in being his friend, but she wasn’t above using him to get out of the orphanage and avoid being dumped into a work colony to become a ‘productive citizen’ the moment she reached majority.

After breakfast, Stakar caught Aleta’s arm and pulled her into a closet, shutting the door quickly behind them. “What happens when we get caught?” she snarled, baring teeth. Her back still ached every time she moved, protesting the fabric that covered the welts.

“They’ll just think we’re fucking.”

“And they won’t care? Aren’t there rules about that?”

He shrugged. “I’m pretty sure there are also rules about hitting us. You see them enforcing those?”

She had to concede that he had a point. “So how are you getting us out of here?”

“Straight and to the point, huh?” She glowered at him, and he deflated slightly then sighed, leaning back against the wall of the closet. “So they bring in supplies once a month, right?” Aleta nodded. “We take the supply ship.”

“We- we what?” That was the extent of his plan? She blinked. “That’s a shit plan. To start: we don’t know how to fly a ship-”

“I’ve done a lot of reading.”

“Second, how in the hells are we going to steal the ship?”

“Look, it’s not a perfect plan-”

“Third, I bet I could get double rations for supper if I told the minders about your plan.”

Stakar looked broken, his head drooping. “Well, I mean, if that’s what you want.” He scratched at his neck, then muttered, “if you’re hungry you can have my dinner anytime. But if you wanna turn me in, that’s fine too.”

Stars he was pathetic. “I never said that, Flyboy. It’s a shit plan though, so listen up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comic Stakar was raised by Ogord (Aleta's dad) on Arcturus IV, but I stuck the two of them in a Nova Corps orphanage instead. I also don’t see MCU Stakar being as much of a pacifist as his comic counterpart was (although he’s definitely still going to be an archeology nut (and at some point, Peter Quill will make him watch Indiana Jones)). I’m also ditching the ‘Stakar living in a time loop’ thing because that’s complicated. 
> 
> Comic Aleta resented Stakar for quite a while when they were kids.


	2. Chapter 2

Aleta crouched behind the crate, motioning for Stakar to follow her. “Come on!” she whispered, waving her hand so that he would come closer.

Stakar crept over, kneeling behind Aleta. “Look,” he said softly, “we need to agree on what to do if this goes wrong.” He wasn’t going to leave Aleta - he couldn’t - but he wasn’t going to ask her to stay behind for him. She deserved freedom and he still owed her for the beating.

Thankfully, it seemed Aleta hadn’t had any delusions of grandeur. “Get the hell out of here and leave anyone who can’t take care of themselves.” She grinned. “Sound like a plan, dear?”

 _She knows_. Aleta was taunting him by calling him ‘dear,’ knowing that it made his chest do things. _Asshole_. He shook his head and pulled himself back to the present, Aleta was no longer looking at him, her eyes focused on the distant prize: the supply ship.

“Yeah. Get on the ship. Hide until it reaches Xandar. Sneak off.” Stakar repeated the plan again, as he’d been doing over and over in his head since Aleta had first suggested it. Once they’d snuck into the hanger that morning, he’d started mumbling it out loud.

Aleta didn’t like it. “If you repeat that one more time I’ll kill you myself.”

They watched as the Nova Corps leader talked to the head minder, then the two stepped away from the ship together. Aleta looked over her shoulder at Stakar. “Now or never.”

Suddenly he froze, fear gripping him. Yes, he’d always known he wanted to leave the orphanage someday - it had been his main goal, for quite a long time - but this? This was madness. “Aleta!” They were almost of age, they’d be getting out of the orphanage soon. There was no need to start their new lives in trouble with the Nova Corps for running away. “Aleta!”

Too late. She either didn’t hear him or choose to ignore him, running full tilt toward the supply ship. Her footsteps echoed in Stakar’s head, haunting him.

Either the minders heard her or the Nova Officer did, either way, they turned to face her and the officer yelled, “Stop right there!” Aleta ignored him, clearly having decided she was going to get to the ship or die trying.

“Crazy! Crazy!” Stakar hissed, looking left and right, trying to decide if he could easily slip away without the Officer or one of the minders noticing him.

A shot rang out.

Aleta screamed.

Stakar turned just in time to see her fall, her hand moving to clutch at her wounded leg. They’d shot her. They had shot a child just for trying to get on the ship.

That was bad.

He had to remain silent, watching in horror as her attackers approached her, one of the minders dragging her to her feet, ignoring her pained cries. She’d told him to run. Stakar didn’t like following orders. He looked around quickly, his eyes scanning for something - anything - that could function as a weapon. Nothing.

There was shouting coming from beside Aleta, she was struggling in the arms of her captors, still giving them hell. Stakar shook his head. _I’m going to die_ , he thought numbly. _If they don’t kill me for this, she will_. He set off across the hanger, weaving in and out of the boxes, keeping to the shadows. Part way there, Aleta met his eyes. “Keep them distracted,” he mouthed. “Trust me.”

It was impossible to tell if she got the message, but at that moment, Aleta kicked the nearest minder in the head, sending them flying. “Fuck you!” she screamed.

 _Too much distraction_ , he thought. He should have told her not to piss them off enough to shoot her before he could do what he needed to. Stakar ducked down, letting Aleta’s most recent chaos be his cover as he bolted for the steps leading into the ship.

Stakar’s original plan that he’d proposed to Aleta had been to steal the ship and take off. She’d suggested simply sneaking onboard and hitching a ride. He hoped she’d forgive him for reverting back to the first plan.

Once onboard he made his way to the cockpit, scanning the controls for anything familiar. _Calm down_ , he told himself firmly. _You’ve read about these_. It was a lot different seeing them in person. He sat in the pilot’s chair, found what he prayed was the activation toggle, and flicked it.

 _Bingo_.

The ship came to life, lighting up into a thousand colors, information flashing across the windshield like fireworks. _It’s beautiful_. Stakar thought he could sit and stare at the controls all day if he had the chance.

He was quickly pulled from his thoughts by shouting. Aleta’s attackers had given up on her and were running toward him. “This is what you wanted,” he reminded himself. “Now think.” With a resounding click he shut the bay doors, a lift of the wheel pulled the ship into the air, and with another few buttons, he locked the tractor beam onto Aleta.

She was gaping at him, her mouth moving in words he couldn’t begin to hear. “I’m flying!” he yelled back in delight. Even with the distance between them, he saw her roll her eyes.

He also saw as her face paled and she wildly pointed to something behind Stakar. When he looked over his shoulder he saw another Nova Corps member approaching him, blaster drawn. “Short trip,” the officer snarled. “Now let go of the controls and I might let you and girly stay here and pretend this never happened.”

It was certainly an option. They’d be beaten, no doubt, and probably have their rations cut, but it would keep them from facing an official Nova Corps sentence. It would also mean Stakar might never see another ship like the one he was currently sitting in.

In one smooth motion, he clicked off the artificial gravity, then sent them spinning in circles. He managed to hang onto his seat, the officer wasn’t so lucky and was thrown through the cabin. Stakar forced his eyes to focus on the readings in front of him, ignoring the ground spinning away below him. With one hand still hanging on for dear life, he reached out and activated the tractor beam, locking it onto Aleta.

He knew he’d have to time it perfectly, and hope Aleta figured out what he was doing.

Activating the tractor beam with one hand, he used his free hand to stop the ship’s spinning, launching himself out of his seat and at his would-be attacker. The still-dazed officer went down easily, falling to the ground under his fists.

Aleta burst through the cockpit a moment later. “What the hell are you doing!?” she yelled.

“Help me throw him off!” Stakar shouted back.

Together the two wrestled the officer through the ship, barely managing to fling him out the airlock before he could wake up enough to shoot them. Stakar winced when he saw the man hit the ground.

“This wasn’t the plan!” Aleta hissed, slamming the airlock closed.

“He’s dead.”

“We were supposed to stow away! Now we have to fly this d’ast thing! Do you even know how to do anything besides spinning! And turn the artificial gravity back on!”

“We killed him.”

“We didn’t kill him you idiot, the fall did,” Aleta shoved past him, pushing her way toward the cockpit. At the height they were at, there was little enough gravity that she seemed to bounce as she walked. Technically she wasn't wrong.

Stakar shook his head to clear it. “You’re bleeding,” he realized.

“Yeah, well, I got shot.”

“We should bandage that.”

Aleta turned to glare at him. “We should get off this planet first!” Stakar easily caught up with her, and together they entered the cockpit. Aleta looked around with a frustrated look on her face. “Well? Do your stuff Flyboy.”

 _Oh? Oh_. Suddenly Aleta’s aversion to his plan of stealing the ship made a lot more sense. “You can’t fly,” he said, mostly to himself.

“Some of us have better things to do than read all day,” she snapped, giving him a push into the pilot’s chair. “Work your magic.” She sat beside him in the copilot’s chair, wincing slightly as her wounded leg touched against the seat.

Stakar did his best to remember what buttons did what, pushing the ship toward the nearest jump point and looking over his shoulder, half afraid of being followed. “The nearest Nova Corps planet is a few jump points away. Even once they send out a distress signal, we’ll have a headstart.”

“Great. Have you heard of Nowhere? It’s a real shithole. Set the course for there.”

Stakar did as he was told, plugging in the required jumps and letting the ship’s nav computer do the rest. “What’s in Nowhere?”

“What isn’t in Nowhere?” Aleta snipped back. She sighed. “Look, we’ve got to ditch the ship. Nowhere is where we’ll find the people willing to buy it. We sell the ship and everything on it and then split the money. Then we can both go our own ways and pretend none of this ever happened.”

“Why would we do that?”

“Because the Nova is looking for this ship?” Aleta rolled her eyes, pushing herself up from her chair. “Gonna go find bandages,” she muttered to herself.

“I mean why split up? There’s safety in numbers.”

Aleta was unconvinced. “Uh huh,” she said, shaking her head. “Sure. Tell yourself that.” She limped from the room, grumbling under her breath the whole way.

**Author's Note:**

> [Follow me on Tumblr!](https://sunflowersupremes.tumblr.com/)


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